The driving restrictions on your license are conditions that limit how, when, or what you can drive, and they show up as letter or number codes printed near the “Restrictions” line on the card. The most common one is the corrective lenses requirement, but the category also covers nighttime curfews for teen drivers, daylight-only driving for vision problems, ignition interlock requirements after a DUI, and endorsements needed for motorcycles or commercial vehicles. Codes vary by state; the underlying categories do not. Driving outside your restrictions is a traffic offense in most states, and depending on the restriction it can mean a citation, a fresh suspension, or criminal charges.
How to Read the Codes on Your License
Look at the front or back of your card for a line labeled “Restrictions” followed by a letter or number. Each state assigns its own codes, so a “B” in one state can mean something different in another. Licensing agencies pull from a shared set of categories established by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, which is why the underlying categories are consistent even when the codes are not.1American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. 2025 AAMVA DL/ID Card Design Standard
The most common categories are corrective lenses, prosthetic devices, automatic transmission only, daylight driving only, and vehicles equipped with adaptive equipment for physical disabilities. The corrective lenses restriction is by far the most widespread and simply means you must wear your glasses or contacts every time you drive; if you needed them to pass the vision screen at the DMV, you have this code. A daylight-only restriction comes from a vision evaluation showing impaired night vision and limits you to roughly a half hour after sunrise to a half hour before sunset. An automatic-transmission-only restriction is assigned when you took your road test in an automatic and your state requires a separate demonstration to drive a manual.
If you cannot tell what a code on your card means, your state DMV publishes the full list on its website. Call the local office before assuming a code has expired or does not apply.
Restrictions for New Drivers
All 50 states and the District of Columbia use graduated driver licensing, which phases in full driving privileges over a learner and intermediate stage rather than giving a new driver unrestricted access on day one.2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Graduated Driver Licensing The specific limits fall into a few predictable groups.
Nighttime Curfews
During the intermediate stage, most states bar unsupervised driving late at night. The most common curfew window runs from 11 p.m. or midnight to 5 or 6 a.m.3National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. GDL Intermediate License Nighttime Restrictions The strictest states start as early as 8 p.m.2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Graduated Driver Licensing Many states carve out exceptions for work, school events, or religious activities, but you may be expected to carry written documentation showing the purpose of the trip.
Passenger Limits
Passenger caps reduce distraction in the car. Some states allow no non-family passengers during the intermediate stage; others cap the number of passengers under a certain age. As of the CDC’s most recent survey, 15 states and D.C. take the strictest approach and prohibit any passengers during the intermediate stage.2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Graduated Driver Licensing
Supervised Hours and Phone Bans
Learner’s permit holders must log a minimum number of supervised driving hours with a licensed adult, usually including both daytime and nighttime practice. Many states have also layered cell phone and texting bans specifically onto young drivers, separate from any hands-free laws that apply to everyone.2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Graduated Driver Licensing These restrictions phase out once the driver reaches a specified age or clears the intermediate stage without violations.
Medical Restrictions
A medical condition that affects your ability to control a vehicle safely can lead to restrictions on your license. These are safety measures based on evaluations from healthcare professionals and are usually revisited as the condition changes.
Vision
If you see well enough with correction, you get the corrective lenses code and drive normally. Significantly impaired night vision can add a daylight-only restriction. When corrective lenses cannot bring acuity up to the state minimum, the license can be denied outright or limited to low-speed roads.
Seizure Disorders and Sudden-Loss-of-Consciousness Conditions
Every state regulates driving eligibility for people with epilepsy, and the most common rule is a required seizure-free period before driving privileges are restored.4Epilepsy Foundation. Driving Laws By State – Seizures and Driving That period varies widely, from about three months in some states to a full year in others. Many states also require periodic medical reports from your neurologist for as long as you remain licensed.
Other conditions that can cause sudden loss of consciousness or impaired awareness, such as narcolepsy, severe sleep apnea, and certain heart conditions, may trigger restrictions as well. What the state imposes depends on the severity of the condition and what your treating physician reports to the licensing authority.
Restrictions After a DUI or Suspension
This is where restrictions get most complicated, because they stack. After a DUI you can be facing an ignition interlock device, limited driving hours through a hardship license, and an SR-22 filing requirement all at once.
Ignition Interlock Devices
An ignition interlock device is a breathalyzer wired into your vehicle’s ignition. You blow into it before starting the car, and if it detects alcohol above a preset threshold, the car will not start. Currently, 31 states and D.C. require an interlock for all DUI offenders, including first-timers. Another eight states require the device for high-BAC offenders and repeat offenders, and five more require it only for repeat offenders.5National Conference of State Legislatures. State Ignition Interlock Laws
How long you keep the device depends on your state and offense history. First-offense durations typically run from about four months to a full year. Repeat offenders can face two to ten years of mandatory use, and a few states impose lifetime interlock requirements after a fourth or subsequent conviction.5National Conference of State Legislatures. State Ignition Interlock Laws
Hardship and Restricted Driving Privileges
Many states offer a hardship license, conditional license, or restricted driving privilege that lets you drive for limited purposes while serving out a suspension. Permitted purposes tend to be fairly consistent: commuting to work, attending school, getting to medical appointments, driving to court-ordered programs like alcohol education, and transporting dependents to school or daycare. Some states also allow travel to religious services and job interviews.
These privileges come with tight conditions. You will typically need to document the necessity of each trip, which can mean carrying a letter from your employer verifying work hours, a class schedule, or a written statement from a doctor confirming an appointment. Driving outside the approved purposes or hours can end the restricted privilege and add penalties.
SR-22 Insurance Certificates
After a DUI, a suspension for driving uninsured, or multiple serious violations, your state will likely require you to file an SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility. It is not a separate type of insurance. It is a form your insurance company files with the state certifying that you carry at least the minimum liability coverage. If your coverage lapses, your insurer must notify the DMV, and your license is suspended again. Most states require you to maintain the SR-22 filing for approximately three years. The form itself is inexpensive, but the underlying premium will be significantly higher than what you paid before the violation.
Vehicle-Type Qualifications
Some limits on your license are not about your driving history or a medical condition. They are about what you are qualified to operate. A standard passenger license does not authorize you to drive everything on the road.
CDL Endorsements
A commercial driver’s license covers large trucks and buses, but specialized cargo and vehicle types require additional endorsements, each with its own test requirements under federal regulations:6Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 6.2.2 CDL Endorsements (383.93)
- H — Hazardous materials: knowledge test and a TSA security background check
- P — Passenger: knowledge test and skills test
- S — School bus: knowledge test and skills test
- T — Double/triple trailers: knowledge test
- N — Tank vehicle: knowledge test
- X — Combination hazmat and tank: covers both H and N
Operating one of these vehicle types without the matching endorsement is a serious violation and can disqualify you from holding a CDL.
Motorcycle Endorsements
All states require a motorcycle endorsement or a separate motorcycle license to ride on public roads.7American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Motorcycle Licensing In most states, you need to pass a written knowledge test and an on-cycle skills test. Many states waive the skills test if you complete a state-approved safety course, but you still have to pass the written exam. Riding without the endorsement can bring a citation and, in some states, impoundment of the motorcycle.
Older Drivers
Older-driver rules are not restrictions printed on the license in the same way corrective lenses is; they are renewal triggers that can lead to restrictions if a re-evaluation reveals a problem. More than half the states change renewal requirements past a specified age, typically 65 or 70. Twenty states require shorter intervals between renewals for older drivers, 19 require more frequent vision tests, and 17 states plus D.C. prohibit online or mail-in renewals and require an in-person visit.8National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In-Person Renewal and Vision Test At least one state requires a road test for applicants 75 and older. Check your state’s rules before your next renewal so nothing catches you off guard.
What Happens If You Violate a Restriction
Driving outside your license restrictions is not a technicality officers overlook. In most states it is a traffic offense, and the penalty scales with what you broke. Being caught without your corrective lenses at a routine stop usually means a citation. Driving outside the permitted hours or purposes of a hardship license is far more serious and can lead to revocation of the restricted privilege and a new suspension period on top of whatever time you had left.
Interlock-related violations are especially harsh. Driving a vehicle without the required device, or tampering with one, can extend the interlock period, trigger additional license suspension, and lead to criminal charges in many states. In some states, driving outside the terms of a DUI-related restricted privilege is a jailable misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum sentence.
The insurance side compounds the legal side. A restriction violation on your record can prompt your insurer to cancel coverage or raise premiums, and it can reset the clock on any SR-22 filing period you were serving.
Getting a Restriction Removed
How you remove a restriction depends on what kind it is and who imposed it.
GDL restrictions phase out on their own. Once you reach the required age or complete the intermediate stage without incident, your next renewal reflects the change; you do not have to petition anyone.
Medical restrictions require updated documentation from your healthcare provider. For a seizure disorder, that usually means a letter from your neurologist confirming you have met your state’s seizure-free period. For vision restrictions, you need a new evaluation from an eye care professional. You bring the paperwork to the DMV, and you may need to retake a vision screen or driving test.
Court-ordered restrictions such as an interlock requirement come off only after you complete the mandated period and show proof of compliance. For an interlock, that means demonstrating you used the device as required without violations or failed tests for the full duration. Depending on your state, you file a petition with the court or present your compliance records to the DMV, and some states require a formal hearing before the restriction is lifted.
Reinstatement fees apply in nearly every case where a restriction stems from a suspension or revocation. Amounts vary by state; confirm the exact figure with your licensing agency before you go in, because the license will not be reissued until the fee is paid.